Prudential

Charles Prince, chief executive of Citigroup, ruled out making a bid for Barclays or any other big bank in Western Europe yesterday, ending months of speculation it was planning a significant acquisition in the region, reports the Times .

The Financial Services Authority fears hedge funds are encouraging brokers to commit market abuse, reports the Daily Telegraph .

Treating customers fairly does not mean treating customers equally because not all individual needs are the same, says the Financial Services Authority.

In the last submission we touched on how there are many advisers who have recommended onshore bonds when the offshore alternative may have proved more effective.

STERLING LEAPT TO a two-year high yesterday as there is growing expectation of further rises in UK interest rates, according to the Scotsman .

Sales of offshore investments are estimated to have grown in the UK by as much as 50% last year. This makes this market one of the fastest growing markets in UK financial services so it is surprising for me to still come across IFAs who discount it automatically....

The FTSE 100 has ended the day down 28.5 points, or 0.48%, to 5,850.8, as miners continued into the red and Wall Street opened poorly.

Some of Britain's biggest life insurers should be freed from "crude" solvency rules which force them to maintain huge reserves, according to a report by the Financial Services Authority out this week, says the Guardian .

The FTSE 100 is down 33.3 points, or 0.57%, to 5,846, with mining stocks the biggest drag as copper prices declined.

The proposal to block the routine NHS use of two drugs for advanced bowel cancer has raised questions about how expensive drugs can be funded and whether there is a role for critical illness cover in this area.